Two former headteachers have been struck off for confining special needs pupils in “calming rooms” with bolted doors, an investigation has uncovered. Ordran Doran, 66, and Simon Black, 62, faced a ban from the profession following a serious inquiry into their conduct at The Bridge School in Ipswich, Suffolk.
The school catered to children aged between four and 16, many of whom were non-verbal or pre-verbal with “significant” special educational needs.
Inspectors discovered rooms secured with bolts during a visit, with Mr Doran admitting to the panel that such measures were taken “to contain children if they were being aggressive and presenting a danger to themselves or others”.
A particular area dubbed the “soft play” room, equipped with padded walls and cushions, was also bolted shut, alongside other “calming rooms” which had been introduced back in 2015.
Mr Doran explained to the Teaching Regulation Agency that these spaces were deliberately made “intentionally bleak” to help de-escalate disruptive behaviour among the pupils.
Furthermore, the report disclosed that Mr Black had been implicated in an incident where he was seen “pushing and rolling” a student into one of these rooms before locking them in.
Defending his actions, Mr Black claimed he was merely responding to an urgent request for assistance as the child could not be pacified and was experiencing extreme agitation.
The disciplinary panel concluded that Mr Black’s actions were both inappropriate and unprofessional, especially given the vulnerability of the student involved.
Mr Doran was deemed “unprofessional and aggressive” by the Teaching Regulation Agency for limiting pupils’ movement using locks, and for detaining them inappropriately.
In their report, it was revealed that Mr Doran served as head teacher at the said school from 1988 until his retirement in 2017, when his deputy, Mr Black replaced him.
The Teaching Regulation Agency expressed their disappointment, stating that both staff members greatly fell short of the professional standards expected.
In their report, the panel pointed out that prior to these incidents, both men had unblemished records. However, they noted with concern, that Mr Black initially admitted to the allegations, but later denied them.
They further noted: “Mr Doran had limited insight or remorse into his actions, and as a result, the panel were concerned about the risk of repetition.”
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary of State, David Oatley delivered the final decision: “A prohibition order would prevent Mr Doran from teaching.”
“A prohibition order would also clearly deprive the public of his contribution to the profession for the period that it is in force.”
“In this case, I have placed considerable weight on the panel’s comments concerning the lack of insight or remorse.”
“In my judgement, the lack of insight and remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.”
He further stated: “”Whilst there is evidence Mr Black was otherwise well regarded as a teacher, the panel considered that the adverse public interest considerations outweighed the interest in retaining Mr Black in the profession, since his behaviour fundamentally breached the standard of conduct expected of a teacher. “”.
Mr Doran and Mr Black were indefinitely prohibited from teaching.
